There are repeats and there are staples in our kitchen. This is a staple in our house. We love chicken tacos. Can I tell you a secret? This is one of the first from the heart of Mexico recipes I learned. I asked my Mother-in-Love before she was that, what was my then boyfriend's favorite foods. I sat down with her at her kitchen table in her home and she shared with me her son's favorite foods. I asked all kinds of questions and this is the delectable answer.

Tacos de pollo.

I can see why he could eat a whole plate of them. When I say plate and talk of a young twenty year old, I mean 10+ tacos. I eat like two or three.

I will separate this process into two parts. The salsa and the taco.

Salsa Ingredients:

Sour cream

Salsa verde (canned or fresh)

Salt to taste.

Taco Ingredients:

Chicken or Turkey, shredded

Tortillas

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Back to the salsa.

Take about a cup of sour cream and add a full can of Herdez salsa verde. You can make your own salsa, but we like the consistency of this brand. You can also add fresh cilantro to the mix. Stir and add salt. I let my kids help me with this part.

I have made salsa verde, it's not hard, but I can save that for another day and link it here, okay? I'm catching up on some blog posts and am prepping for the Birria post that's coming up for Thanksgiving! (Birria is more time consuming than I remember.)

I'm going to show you the picture of the finished tacos now so that you can see the consistency of the salsa that is the crowning glory of these crunchy tacos.

Taco preparation:

I normally make caldo de pollo (Chicken soup with veggies--another fantastic winter meal or two.) and have leftover chicken. This is the leftover chicken, shredded for tacos.

The tortillas here are corn. You cannot buy these everywhere. Supermercado Mexico has them stocked all the time. It's a staple.

Heat them so that they are supple and won't break while frying. You can do all of them at once and stack them together to stay warm.

After the tortillas are warmed, take them one at a time and add your poultry to the edge. This is going to be one full taco. It is about the limit to what the tortilla can handle.

Roll the tortilla over the meat. I do this so often I can do it one-handed. :)

If you are short on chicken, add a little and make it stretch. If you have plenty and want to make a hearty taco, take caution not to overfill the taco. It will crack and break if you add too much or try to roll to tightly.

This is very hot. Use extreme caution. Add salt to reduce popping. It won't be completely eliminated, so do try to keep little people out of the kitchen. I have burned my arm many times (feet, too from hot oil falling to the floor) and there have been moments where I have scuttled a little one from the area only to have a huge "POP" and oil splatter.

The chicken, if wet, will pop more. Hold the tortilla together until it can stay closed on it's own. When the oil has been heated for some time, it is not going to take more than 5-10 seconds. Move quickly on to prepare the next taco. Multi-task. Have it all handy. Tortillas hot and ready and chicken shredded.

The taco is done when it turns a nice golden brown.

Lettuce dresses the plate. This is Romaine Hearts, chopped finely, about a quarter-inch thick. Rinse and shake out the excess moisture.

Ladle a couple of spoonfuls of the salsa verde on top of the tacos. Our kids skip the lettuce and pour the salsa on the plate and dip. One just likes the tacos plain. Anyway you eat them, they are so very tasty. Two to four tacos make a nice size plate. My kids will eat two each, I normally eat three, while my husband eats five to seven at a sitting. These are great with a salty beer (like a Corona) or a fruit water like agua de limon.